The 58th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show takes place from 1-5 November this year, when brokers and suppliers gather to showcase the best of everything that floats, from tenders and sportfishers to catamarans and superyachts. 

FLIBS is the largest in-water boat show in the world, attracting indsutry professionals and boating enthusiasts from Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia and from  every corner of the US, generating over $857 million for the local purse over five days. 

Owned by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, and managed by Show Management, FLIBS covers a space of 3 million square feet, giving visitors access to an estimated $4 billion worth of products and inventory on display.

FLIBS is open to the public, but behind the scenes it is a vital B2B platform for the entire maritime sector, drawing decision makers and facilitating deals and partnerships among key players, with many national and international trade associations holding their annual meetings here. Beyond the Show, Florida is the undisputed capital of yachting in the US with the sector supporting 110,000 jobs in Broward County and 136,000 jobs regionally. In revenue terms this generates $8.8 billion in Broward County and $11.5 billion regionally.

As well as the boats on display, exhibits include luxury cars, personal submarines and a huge selection of the latest water toys and accessories. Themed areas include the Performance Village, the Sportfish Village, CruiserPort, the Superyacht Experience, the Yachting Pavilion and the Yacht Builders Pavilion. There's also a Kid Zone located in the Convention Center, featuring fishing clinics for children presented by Hook The Future.

Other attractions include floating cocktail barges, live music and fishing and boating seminars for adults and children.

The show is spread over seven locations connected by land and water transportation. The Show headquarters are at the Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale with further exhibits at the Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Municipal Marina, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Sails Marina, Pier 66 Marina, and the Greater Fort Lauderdale-Broward County Convention Center.